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{{Short description|Division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination}}
{{Other uses}}
A '''schism''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|z|ə|m}} {{respell|SIZ|əm}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|k|ɪ|z|ə|m}}, {{respell|SKIZ|əm}} or, less commonly, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|ɪ|z|ə|m}} {{respell|SHIZ|əm}})<ref>''[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]'', 4th ed. (2000) notes in [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schism The Free Dictionary] that "The word ''schism'', which was originally spelled ''scisme'' in English, is traditionally pronounced (sĭ′zəm). However, in the 16th century the word was respelled with an initial ''sch'' in order to conform to its Latin and Greek forms. From this spelling arose the pronunciation (skĭ′zəm). Long regarded as incorrect, it became so common in both British and American English that it gained acceptability as a standard variant. Evidence indicates, however, that it is now the preferred pronunciation, at least in American English. In a recent survey 61 percent of the Usage Panel indicated that they use (skĭ′zəm), while 31 percent said they use (sĭ′zəm). A smaller number, 8 percent, preferred a third pronunciation, (shĭ′zəm)."</ref>  is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or [[religious denomination]]. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, such as the Great [[East–West Schism]] or the [[Western Schism]]. It is also used of a split within a non-religious organization or movement or, more broadly, of a separation between two or more people, be it brothers, friends, lovers, etc.
A '''schismatic''' is a person who creates or incites schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group. '''Schismatic''' as an adjective means pertaining to a schism or schisms, or to those ideas, policies, etc. that are thought to lead towards or promote schism.
In religion, the charge of schism is distinguished from that of [[heresy]], since the offence of schism concerns not differences of belief or doctrine but promotion of, or the state of division,<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Schism |volume=24 |page=327}}</ref> especially among groups with differing pastoral jurisdictions and authority. However, schisms frequently involve mutual accusations of heresy, and also that of the [[Great Apostasy]]. In Roman Catholic teaching, every heresy is a schism, while there may be some schisms free of the added guilt of heresy.<ref>{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Schism |volume=13 |first=Jacques |last=Forget}}</ref> [[Religious liberalism|Liberal]] [[Protestantism]], however, has often preferred heresy over schism. [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] scholar [[James I. McCord]] (quoted with approval by the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]] [[Episcopal Diocese of Virginia|Bishop of Virginia]], [[Peter Lee (bishop of Virginia)|Peter Lee]]) drew a distinction between them, teaching:  "If you must make a choice between heresy and schism, always choose heresy. As a schismatic, you have torn and divided the body of Christ. Choose heresy every time."<ref>{{cite journal | title = Heresy better idea than schism? | journal = Washington Times | date = 2004-01-31| url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/jan/31/20040131-120323-2290r/?page=all | access-date = 2010-07-05}}</ref>
==Etymology==
The word ''schism'' comes from the Greek word σχίσμα, Greek transliteration:
schisma which means "cleft, division".{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
==Buddhism==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2008}}
{{Main|Schools of Buddhism}}
[[File:Buddhist Sangha Lineages.png|thumb|701x701px|The historical development of major Buddhist Lineages]]
In [[Buddhism]], the first schism was set up by [[Devadatta]], during [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]'s life. This schism lasted only a short time. Later (after Buddha's death), the [[early Buddhist schools]] came into being, but were not schismatic,{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} only focusing on different interpretations for the same monastic community. In the old texts, 18 or 20 early schools are mentioned. Later, there were the [[Mahayana]] and [[Vajrayana]] movements, which can be regarded as being schismatic in origin. Each school has various subgroups, which often are schismatic in origin. For example, in Thai Theravadin Buddhism there are two groups ([[Mahanikaya]] and [[Thammayut Nikaya|Dhammayut]]), of which the Dhammayut has its origin partly in the Mahanikaya, and is the new and schismatic group. Both Mahanikaya and Dhammayut have many subgroups, which usually do not have schismatic origins, but came into being in a natural way, through the popularity of a (leader) [[bhikkhu|monk]]. [[Tibetan Buddhism]] has seen schisms in the past, of which most were healed, although the [[Drukpa Lineage|Drukpa]] school centred in [[Bhutan]] perhaps remains in a state of schism (since 1616) from the other Tibetan schools.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}
==Christianity==
{{See also|Schism in Christianity|Ecclesiastical separatism|Bosnian Church}}{{Box|{{Christian denomination tree}}}}
The words ''schism'' and ''schismatic'' are used to denote splits within a church, denomination or religious body. In this context, "schismatic", as a noun, denotes a person who creates or incites schism in a church or a person who is a member of a splinter Church; as an adjective, "schismatic" refers to ideas and activities that are thought to lead to or constitute schism, and ultimately to departure from what the user of the word considers to be the true Christian Church. These words have been used to denote both the phenomenon of Christian group-splintering in general, and certain significant historical splits in particular.
One can make a  distinction<ref>[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/catechis.html Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church], p. 42; The [https://archive.org/details/concordiacyclope009499mbp Concordia Cyclopedia] quoted in [http://www.concordtx.org/msnews/pli23.htm Unionism and Syncretism – and PLI]; [http://www.roca.org/OA/111/111m.htm Orthodox Practice – Choosing God-parents]; [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P2G.HTM Code of Canon Law, canon 751]</ref> between [[wikt:heresy|heresy]] and [[wikt:schism|schism]]. Heresy is rejection of a [[doctrine]] that a Church considered to be essential. Schism is a rejection of [[communion (Christian)|communion]] with the authorities of a Church, and not every break of communion is necessarily about doctrine, as is clear from examples such as the [[Western Schism]] and the breaking of the communion that existed between [[Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople]] and [[Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/19/2/64.aspx|title= Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople Broke Eucharistic Communion with Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens » News » OrthodoxEurope.org|website= orthodoxeurope.org}}</ref> However, when for any reason people withdraw from communion, two distinct ecclesiastical entities may result, each of which, or at least some members thereof, may then accuse the other(s) of heresy.
In [[Roman Catholic Church]] [[canon law (Catholic Church)|canon law]], an act of schism, like an act of [[apostasy]] or [[heresy]], automatically brings the penalty of [[excommunication]] on the individual who commits it.<ref>Code of Canon Law, [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P50.HTM canon 1364]</ref> As stated in [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P4S.HTM canon 1312 §1 1°] of the [[1983 Code of Canon Law]], this penalty is intended to be medicinal, so as to lead to restoration of unity. Roman Catholic theology considers formal schismatics to be outside the Church, understanding by "formal schismatics" "persons who, knowing the true nature of the Church, have personally and deliberately committed the sin of schism".<ref name="Nichols">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Hje62q52XNsC&dq=Nichols+Rome+and+the+Eastern+Churches+%22sin+of+schism%22&pg=PA41 Aidan Nichols, ''Rome and the Eastern Churches'' (Liturgical Press 1992), p. 41] {{ISBN| 978-1-58617-282-4}}</ref> The situation, for instance, of those who have been brought up from childhood within a group not in full communion with [[diocese of Rome|Rome]], but who have orthodox faith, is different: these are considered to be imperfectly, though not fully, related to the Church.<ref name=Nichols/> This nuanced view applies especially to the Churches of [[Eastern Christianity]], more particularly still to the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].<ref name=Nichols/> While they don't possess "full communion" (''communio in sacris'') with the Catholic Church, they are still considered much more linked to it than the Protestant ecclesial communities, which have markedly different theological beliefs and rejected the concept of [[apostolic succession]] (with the exception of the Anglicans, which, however, are viewed by the Catholic Church as not having a valid priesthood).
The [[First Council of Nicaea]] (A.D. 325) distinguished between schism and heresy. It declared [[Arian]] and non-[[Trinitarianism|Trinitarian]] teachings to be heretical and excluded their adherents from the Church. It also addressed the schism between [[Pope Peter I of Alexandria|Peter of Alexandria]] and [[Meletius of Lycopolis]], considering their quarrel to be a matter of discipline, not of faith.
The divisions that came to a head at the Councils of [[First Council of Ephesus|Ephesus]] (A.D. 431) and [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedon]] (A.D. 451) were seen as matters of heresy, not merely of schism. Thus the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] regard each other as heretical, not orthodox, because of the Oriental Orthodox Church's rejection and the Eastern Orthodox Church's acceptance of the [[Council of Chalcedon#Confession of Chalcedon|Confession of Chalcedon]] about the two natures (human and divine) of Christ. However, this view has been challenged in the recent [[Ecumenism|Ecumenical discussion]] between these two groups, classifying the matter of Chalcedon as a matter of schism, not of heresy.
In its extended and final form (possibly derived from the [[First Council of Constantinople]] in 381 although only known from the Acts of the [[Council of Chalcedon]] seventy years later),<ref>Kelly, J.N.D. ''Early Christian Creeds'' Longmans 1960 pp. 296,7; 305–331</ref> what is commonly called the [[Nicene Creed]] declares belief in the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church]]. Some who accept this creed believe they should be united in a single Church or group of Churches in communion with each other. Others who accept this creed believe it does not speak of a visible organization but of all those baptized who hold the Christian faith, referred to as "[[Christendom]]". Some churches consider themselves to be the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. For instance, the [[Roman Catholic Church]] claims that title and considers the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] to be in schism, while the Eastern Orthodox Church also claims that title and holds the view that the Catholic Church is schismatic. Some [[Protestant]] Churches believe that they also represent the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and consider the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to be in error, while others do not expect a union of all Christian churches on earth.  See also [[One true church]] and [[Great Apostasy]].
Protestant groups, lacking the stronger traditional authority-structures of (say) Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy, and often riven by politico-national divides (sometimes resulting from ''[[cuius regio, eius religio]]''), show a high degree of fissibility, which ecumenical efforts may only intensify.<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Leithart
| first1 = Peter J.
| author-link1 = Peter J. Leithart
| chapter = The Case against Denominationalism: Perpetuating Schism
| title = The End of Protestantism: Pursuing Unity in a Fragmented Church
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DEouDQAAQBAJ
| location = Grand Rapids, Michigan
| publisher = Baker Publishing Group
| date = 2016-10-18
| page = 78
| isbn = 9781493405831
| access-date = 20 March 2020
| quote = The causes of church division are complex, and the effects can be paradoxical. In a study of American Protestant schisms between 1890 and 1990, John Sutton and Mark Chaves conclude that churches do not divide for purely doctrinal reasons but rather 'in response to attempts by denominational elites to achieve organizational consolidation.' [...] Ironically, 'mergers and foundings sharply raise the likelihood of schism.' Efforts to reunite the church can go wrong and sow further and deeper divisions. Ironically again, schism can reduce the chance of schism, though only briefly: 'one year after a founding or merger, rates of schism are five times higher than they are one year after a schism.'
}}
</ref>
Schisms have occurred particularly frequently among [[Anabaptists]], to the extent that divisions over even minute details of doctrine and theology are common and scholars have dubbed the phenomenon ''Täuferkrankheit'' or "The Anabaptist Disease".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://gameo.org/index.php?title= Schisms|title= Schisms|website= gameo.rg}}</ref> Emphasizing fully voluntary membership in the church, and without an established authority of hierarchical structure, Anabaptists, especially [[Mennonites]] have experienced dozens of schisms, resulting in the establishment of dozens of various unaffiliated Mennonite churches.
In 2018 [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] suffered a schism, [[2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism|the 2018 Moscow-Constantinople schism]] between the primatial See of Eastern Orthodoxy, the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] and the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] over the issue of Constantinople granting [[autocephaly]] to the [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]].
== Hinduism ==
The [[Sringeri Sharada Peetham|Sringeri]] Matha, also called the '[[Tunga River|Tunga]] Sringeri Math' diverged after a schism with the [[Koodli|Koodli Sringeri Matha]] during the 16th century after which the Tunga Math gained prominence.[https://sringeri.net/jagadgurus/the-later-acharyas-1]
The [[Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham|Kanchi Math]] was originally established as the Kumbakonam Mutt in 1821 by the [[Thanjavur Maratha kingdom|Maratha king of Tanjore]], [[Serfoji II|Serfoji II Bhonsle]], as a branch of the [[Sringeri Sharada Peetham|Sringeri Mutt]], one of the four cardinal [[Shankaracharya|Shankaracharya Maths]] of the mainstream [[Smarta tradition|Smarta]] denomination. It became a schismatic institution when Tanjore and the [[Wadiyar dynasty|Wodeyars of Mysore]] went to war against each other. It is on record that in 1839 the Kumbakonam Mutt applied for permission from the English Collector of Arcot to perform the “kumbhabhishekham” of the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram.
In 1842, the [[East India Company]] headquartered at [[Fort William, India|Fort William, Calcutta]] appointed the head of the mutt as the sole trustee of the Kamakshi temple. The protests of the traditional priests of the Kamakshi temple are well documented and preserved. Incidentally, Fort William is also the first [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] lodge of India.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Deschamps|first=Simon|date=2017-06-15|title=From Britain to India: Freemasonry as a Connective Force of Empire|url=https://journals.openedition.org/erea/5853|journal=E-rea. Revue électronique d'études sur le monde anglophone|volume=14|language=en|issue=2|doi=10.4000/erea.5853|issn=1638-1718|doi-access=free}}</ref> Since then, the Math has maintained cordial relations with the [[British Raj]] though the main math at Sringeri fell sour with the colonial power<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-31|title=Sringeri temple attack and the genocide of Karnataka's Hindus by the Maratha Empire (1791)|url=https://historyofislam.com/sringeri-temple-attack-and-the-genocide-of-karnatakas-hindus-by-the-maratha-empire-1791/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=History of Islam|language=en-US}}</ref>
Thus, the Kanchi Mutt can at best claim its origin to be in 1844.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Guruswamy|first=Mohan|date=2021-11-30|title=Mohan Guruswamy {{!}} The Kumbakonam of the Kanchi Shankaracharya|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/291121/mohan-guruswamy-the-kumbakonam-of-the-kanchi-shankaracharya.html|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-01|title=ஆதி சங்கரர் நிறுவியதா காஞ்சி சங்கரமடம்? – முரண்படும் தகவல்கள்|url=https://www.bbc.com/tamil/india-43233728|access-date=2022-01-04|website=BBC News தமிழ்|language=ta}}</ref>
==Islam==
{{Further|Islamic schools and branches|Succession to Muhammad|Pan-Islamism|Shia–Sunni divide}}
After the death of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]], there have arisen many [[Muslim sects]] by means of [[Madhhab|schools of thought]], traditions and related faiths.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamnewsroom.com/content/view/220/58/|title=Islam News Room – Quran 'Miracle 19' is A Lie?|last=Editor|website=www.islamnewsroom.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.irf.net/irf/dtp/dawah_tech/mcqnm17.htm Why are Muslims divided into different Sects/Schools of Thought] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915223834/http://www.irf.net/irf/dtp/dawah_tech/mcqnm17.htm |date=2008-09-15 }} by [[Zakir Naik]] on IRF.net</ref> According to a [[hadith]] report (collections of accounts of the life and teachings of Muhammad), Muhammad is said to have [[Prophecy|prophesied]] "My [[Ummah]] (Community or Nation) will be fragmented into seventy-three sects, and all of them will be in the [[Jahannam|Hell]] fire except one." The [[Sahaba]] (his companions) asked him which group that would be, whereupon he replied, "It is the one to which I and my companions belong" (reported in [[Sunan al-Tirmidhi]] Hadith No. 171).
[[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslims]], often referred to as ''Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h'' or ''Ahl as-Sunnah'', are the largest [[Islamic schools and branches|denomination]] of [[Islam]]. The word ''Sunni'' comes from the word ''[[Sunnah]]'', which means the teachings and actions or examples of the [[Prophets of Islam|Islamic prophet]], [[Muhammad]]; therefore, the term Sunni refers to those who follow or maintain the Sunnah of Muhammad. The Sunni believe that Muhammad died without appointing a successor to lead the [[Ummah]] (Muslim community). After an initial period of confusion, a group of his most prominent companions gathered and elected [[Abu Bakr]], Muhammad's close friend and father-in-law, as the first [[Caliph]]. Sunnis regard the first four caliphs – [[Abu Bakr]], [[Umar]] (`Umar ibn al-Khattāb), [[Uthman Ibn Affan]], and [[Ali]] (Ali ibn Abu Talib) – as the ''al-Khulafā’ur-Rāshidūn'' or "[[Rashidun]]" (The Rightly Guided Caliphs). Sunnis believe that the position of Caliph may be democratically chosen, but after the first four Rightly Guided Caliphs the position turned into a hereditary [[dynasty|dynastic]] rule. There has not been another widely recognized Caliph since the fall of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1923.
[[Shia Islam]] is the second largest [[Islamic schools and branches|denomination]] of [[Islam]]. Shia Muslims believe that, similar to the appointment of prophets, [[Imam]]s after Muhammad are also chosen by God. According to Shias, [[Ali]] was chosen by Allah and thus appointed by Muhammad to be the direct successor and leader of the Muslim community. They regard him as the first [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Shia Imam]], which continued as a hereditary position through [[Fatimah]] and Ali's descendants.
[[Sufism]] is a [[mysticism|mystical]]-[[Asceticism|ascetic]] form of Islam practised by both Shia and Sunni Muslims. Some Sufi followers consider themselves Sunni or Shia, while others consider themselves as just Sufi or Sufi-influenced. Sufism is usually considered to be complementary to orthodox Islam, although Sufism has often been accused by the [[Salafi#Influence on contemporary Salafism|salafi]] of being an unjustified ''[[Bid‘ah]]'' or religious innovation. By focusing on the more spiritual aspects of religion, Sufis strive to obtain direct experience of God by making use of "intuitive and emotional faculties" that one must be trained to use.<ref>Trimingham (1998), p.1</ref> One starts with [[sharia]] (Islamic law), the [[exoteric]] or mundane practice of Islam, and then is initiated into the mystical ([[Esotericism|esoteric]]) path of a [[Tariqah]] (Sufi Order).
[[Kharijites|Kharijite]] (lit. "those who seceded") is a general term embracing a variety of Islamic sects which, while originally supporting the Caliphate of [[Ali]], eventually rejected his legitimacy after he negotiated with [[Muawiyah I|Mu'awiya]] during the 7th Century Islamic civil war ([[First Fitna]]).{{cn|date=January 2024}} Their complaint was that the Imam must be spiritually pure, whereas Ali's compromise with Mu'awiya was a compromise of his spiritual purity and therefore of his legitimacy as Imam or Caliph. While there are few remaining Kharijite or Kharijite-related groups, the term is sometimes used to denote Muslims who refuse to compromise with those with whom they disagree.
Dates:
*The schism of the [[Succession to Muhammad|Shia and Sunni]], c. 632/680s
*The schism of the [[Kharijites]], late 7th century
*The schism of the [[Mu'tazili]]tes, 8th century
*The schism of the [[Mihna]], c. 833
*The schism of [[Zikri]], c. 1500
*The schism of [[Ahmadiyya]], 19th century
*The [[Moorish Science Temple of America]], c. 1913
*The [[Nation of Islam]], c. 1930
*The [[United Submitters International]], c. mid-20th century
==Jainism==
{{main|Jain schools and branches}}
[[File:Jainsects.PNG|800px|thumb|center|Picture showing a diagrammatic view of the schisms in [[Jainism]] along with the [[Timeline of Jainism|timeline]]]]
The first schism in Jainism happened around the fourth century BCE, leading to rise of two major sects, [[Digambara]] and [[Śvetāmbara]], which were later subdivided in further sub-sects.{{sfn|Clarke|Beyer|2009|p=326}}
==Judaism==
{{Main|Jewish schisms}}
{{See also|Jewish views of religious pluralism|Relationships between Jewish religious movements|Heresy in Judaism}}
Major [[Jewish denominations]] are [[Orthodox Judaism]] and non-Orthodox: [[Reform Judaism|Reform]], [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]].
In early [[Jewish history]], the Jewish and [[Samaritan]] religions were the product of the schism during the [[Babylonian Exile]] (6th Century BCE). Schisms in Judaism included the emergence of [[Christianity]] and [[Mandaeism]].
Dates:
*[[Samaritanism]], 586 BCE
*[[Mandaeism]], c. 1st century AD<ref>"And sixty thousand Nasoraeans abandoned the Sign of the Seven and entered the Median Hills, a place where we were free from domination by all other races." Karen L. King, ''What is Gnosticism?'', 2005, Page 140</ref><ref name = BuckleyOrigins>Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). Turning the Tables on Jesus: The Mandaean View. In {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncuQxl5Ate0C&dq=buckley+mandaean+turning+the+table+on+jesus&pg=PA109|title=''Christian Origins''|isbn=9781451416640|last1=Horsley|first1=Richard|date=March 2010|publisher=Fortress Press }}(pp94-111). Minneapolis: Fortress Press</ref>
*[[Christianity]], c. 1st century AD
*[[Reform Judaism]], 1810
*[[Conservative Judaism]], 1886
==See also==
*[[One true church]]
*[[List of schisms in Christianity]]
*[[Secession]]
*[[Old and New Light]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* {{citation |last1=Clarke |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter B. Clarke |last2=Beyer |first2=Peter |author-link2=Peter Beyer |title=The World's Religions: Continuities and Transformations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rBgn3xB75ZcC |date=2009 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-203-87212-3 }}
==External links==
{{Wiktionary|schism}}
{{Commons category|Schisms}}
*[https://www.britannica.com/topic/schism ''Encyclopædia Britannica'': "Schism"]
{{Religion topics}}
{{New Religious Movements}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schism (Religion)}}
[[Category:Schisms| ]]